How Apple is sweetening the deal for potential TV partners

Content creators want to know what people are watching, and Apple is willing to help. Photo: Robert S. Donovan Photo: Robert S. DonovanFlickr CC

Apple is planning its own cable-free TV service for a fall launch, and it’s pulling out all the stops to lure potential content partners.

According to a new report, networks Apple is courting have been offered complete access to viewer data, such as what shows they watch and when they watch them. It’s an unusually friendly negotiating approach for Apple that signals the company really wants to get the service off the ground soon.

“They’re allowing a lot more decision-making by the content owner,” one source told The New York Post. Apple’s attitude with networks has allegedly been, “It’s up to you, whatever you guys want to do.”

Competitors like Sling TV have been aggressively adding new channels, which means that Apple has some catching up to do. Given its reputation of being notoriously bossy and hard to work with, it’s interesting that Apple is so willing to give networks what they want. Netflix, for instance, does not allow content providers to see their viewer data.